Abortions rise in the US as state restrictions cause widespread travel for care

The number of abortions rose in most states in the US during the first six months of this year compared with the same period in 2020, before the US Supreme Court overturned the right to abortion. The number of women travelling out of state for abortions rose dramatically, a report from the non-profit Guttmacher Institute found.1

Abortion was legal in all 50 US states until the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in June 2022 in the case referred to as Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization.2 The court returned the decision to the states. At present, 14 states ban abortion and the right to abortion is in the courts in at least three other states. States banning abortion are concentrated in the south and south eastern parts …